Zen Seeds by Shundo Aoyama Zen Seeds by Shundo Aoyama is a collection of 60 short lessons on the blessings Buddhism can bring to your life. Shundo entertains and enlightens with stories from her own life, as well as classical teachings, and koan teachings. She presents these lessons in an easy and engaging fashion that […]
Ahmed’s Journey by Jill Manly Ahmed’s Journey by Jill Manly follows the titular Ahmed as he goes to the Camel Races. This is a tradition among his people, and Ahmed is going to participate for the first time. He’s nervous, but by observing his favourite camel, Jamal, Ahmed finds his centre. Thanks to Jamal, Ahmed […]
In Focus: Meditation by Jacqueline Towers is a comprehensive overview of meditation that serves as a perfect introduction to the subject. It looks at what meditation actually is, how different religious and spiritual practises view it, and the various tools of common meditation practises. I appreciate that the author stresses that no tools or equipment […]
Lama Lhakpa Yeshe’s Ten Tales from Tibet is a beautiful collection of traditional tales about the value and necessity of compassion and how to cultivate it. These stories make up part of the rich oral storytelling of Tibet, as a way of passing knowledge along generation after generation. Each of these wisdom stories may be […]
***This book was reviewed for the San Francisco Book Review Sons of Isan, by William Reyland, is the true story of one man’s immersion in rich spirituality. At times mirthful, and brutally honest, it is a tale of introspection, and the journey to find deeper meaning in life. Having given away all his possessions, our […]
This book was reviewed via Netgalley Van der Hoeven’s Zen for Druids is her second book focuses on combining the nature spiritualism of Druidry with the teachings and tenets of Buddhism. She makes a note that the reader should have read the previous Zen Druidry before reading this one. I would disagree, and say that […]
This book was reviewed for the Manhattan Book Review Using lessons garnered from such diverse sources as Jewish mysticism, Buddhism, psychology, mythic studies, and spiritual alchemy, Frankel offers a new way of looking at the unknown, and embracing the chaos of uncertainty. As we age, we lose the wonder of the child, for whom […]
This book was reviewed for the San Francisco and Seattle Book Reviews Rebel, Rebel is another great addition to the pop culture and philosophy series, this time focusing on music legend David Bowie. I grew up listening to Bowie’s music of the 70s, which my parents enjoyed. Then, of course, there was Labyrinth, which ranks […]